


Scenes from the Seem

by cgreene



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 16:08:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5096879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cgreene/pseuds/cgreene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the prompting Everthorne challenge (which you can check out on tumblr), scenes from the Seam showcasing Gale and Katniss's relationship as it evolves from friendship to something more. As always, reviews greatly appreciated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stories in the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> "Make a wish, Catnip."

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Gale asked with more amusement than annoyance in his voice as he followed Katniss through the forest.

"Yes, Gale." Her irritation was obvious. Katniss was taking him to a pond her father had shown her once. She'd insisted it was over this ridge even though Gale seemed dubious. He'd explored this area before and didn't remember seeing a pond. But Katniss insisted, and was taking him mostly just to prove him wrong. "It's just over this ridge," she spoke with more confidence than she actually had.

He shook his head and smiled. "That's what you said about the last ridge, Catnip."

She spun around, eyes challenging. "What? Are you getting tired or something?"

"Of this? Never." He said evenly as he quieted his laughter.

"You can go back if you want." She huffed as she resumed her lead.

"And leave you out here all alone?"

"You don't think I can handle it?"

"That's not what I said. I know you can handle it. But what kind of friend would I be if I just left you out here…"

"Friend?"

"Yeah, we're friends, aren't we?" Gale was a little hurt that she had to consider this, but he wasn't really surprised. His relationship with her was hard-won. It took him months to get her to trust him, and maybe a year to get her to like him, and of that part, he sometimes still wasn't sure.

"Yeah, I guess," she said almost indifferently, like a concession, as she pulled herself up the hill.

"Oh, Catnip," he muttered, mostly to himself. Sometimes, he didn't know what to make of his hunting partner.

"What? I didn't mean that as an insult. Friendship just seems so…superficial. Like, people have friends for fun. What we do is so much more…important."

Gale was a little taken aback by her comment, her complement. "I can see that. But you know," he jogged up next to her, and playfully knocked her shoulder with his, "a little bit of fun wouldn't kill you." The look she gave him told him it just might. He smiled again and shook his head. "Alright, Catnip," he said pulling himself to the top of the ridge, "let's see this pond."

There was no pond. They faced an endless expanse of green growing towards the distance. Gale wasn't surprised that the pond wasn't there, but he felt a little bad for her. Gale considered making a joke at her expense, but when he saw her face fall and cheeks burn with humiliation and anger, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Maybe it's over the next one?" He offered hopefully, trying to make it better.

The look in her eyes said nothing was going to make this better. He saw the defeat written on her face. Her eyes told him that she knew the pond wasn't over the next ridge, and worse, she knew that he knew that too.

"Whatever," she huffed, as she turned sharply and immediately started heading back the direction they came. "We need to head back or we won't make it home before dark."

"There's no way we're making it home before dark," Gale said, trying to catch up to her.

"We will if we walk faster." She quickened her pace.

"Catnip," the doubt in his voice cut her. "Hey, Catnip," Gale practically had to jog to catch up. "It's not that big a deal."

She stepped up her pace and didn't respond.

"Come on, don't be like that." He reached out to her, but she shoved away. Tears were starting to slip out of her eyes, and she was determined to not let Gale see, she hadn't let him see her cry yet, but Gale was quicker and stronger than she was, and he finally managed to grab her, pulling her to him. He looked shocked as he saw her tears, which she quickly tried to wipe away. "Don't be upset," he said, trying to calm her, "I doesn't matter that we didn't find the pond."

"Maybe not to you!" she snapped, and Gale suddenly realized—it wasn't about her not finding the pond to show him, it was about her losing the pond her father showed her. It wasn't about him, it was about her father. Gale felt like an idiot.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he said, bringing her into a hug automatically. This was the first time he'd hugged her. She stayed stiff and pulled away.

"It doesn't matter," she said, wiping the final tear from her eyes, "let's go."

Gale wanted to say something to make her feel better, but couldn't think of anything, so he just followed.

They'd jogged for nearly two hours when Katniss finally had to stop for a break. The sun was setting and they were still miles from home. "We're not going to make it back tonight," she said considering the shadows after she took a sip of water.

"Nope." Gale's tone was matter of fact, while Katniss was just coming to terms with this knowledge, he already knew it. Why didn't he care? she wondered.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, pulling an apple from her bag.

"Yeah, a bit." Gale was lying, he was 15 and had been going through a perpetual growth spurt since age 12. He was always hungry.

Katniss tossed him the apple, hoping it offered as some sort of apology for her mood, but it didn't feel like enough. "I'm sorry I snapped at you," she added not exactly looking at him as Gale took a bite.

"Don't worry about it."

"And I'm sorry I got us lost."

"Really, Catnip, I don't care," he said between crunches with a smile.

"But I wasted your entire day."

"It wasn't a waste."

"Why not?"

"Because I was having fun." Katniss looked at him like he was crazy and clearly didn't understand. Gale just smiled and took another bite.

"I can probably shoot a squirrel…for dinner."

Gale thought seriously for a second and then shook his head. As much as he wanted to eat, he knew they shouldn't risk it. "We probably don't want to take the chance with fire. We don't know who's watching."

Katniss met his eyes. Both were remembering the time they saw the Capitol hovercraft in the woods. She nodded, "right."

She and Gale didn't bring any camping supplies, so they walked around until they found a grassy clearing where they figured it'd be most comfortable to sleep. Gale tried to reel Katniss in with a few attempts at conversation, but was unsuccessful, and he knew she wasn't going to talk if she didn't want to, so he started talking about the constellations because he didn't want to sit in silence.

"And that one there, can you see it?" he pointed, "that's the bear."

"That doesn't look like a bear to me," Katniss said.

"Use your imagination, Catnip."

"It still doesn't look like a bear."

"Okay. Well, you see those three in a row there?"

"Yeah."

"That's the great hunter."

"Those three stars?"

"They're his belt. That's his arm, there, and his feet. See?"

"Yeah. I guess."

"He's a hero," Gale said like it meant something.

"Why? What'd he do that was so important?"

Gale thought for a moment and realized it never occurred to him to ask. "I don't know," he finally said, softly. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does!" Katniss said, finally with a bit of spirit in her voice. "Hero is usually just another term for villain...it just depends who's talking." Gale turned over to face her, clearly interested but not totally understanding. "I mean," she said with a shrug, "the Capitol has people they'd call heroes too, you know, but what would we call them?"

Gale took a deep breath. She was right. He never thought about this before.

"There's an archer too," he finally continued, looking back up at the sky. It seemed less bright now. "But I don't think we can see it now."

"Where'd you learn about this?" Katniss asked, legitimately interested. This time she turned to look at him. Even though his face was still, she could see his mind moving, but she hasn't learned to read him as well as he had her.

Gale's father had taught him all of this. His father had loved to tell stories. Gale wasn't sure if he should bring that up after the incident with the pond, if should talk about something his father left him when she'd just lost something from hers. As he considered how to respond, he saw a shooting star.

"Make a wish," he said excitedly as he pointed.

"What?"

"The shooting star. When you see one you get to make a wish."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

His reason didn't seem to be good enough for her. "Did you?" Katniss asked, looking at him.

"Yeah."

"What'd you wish for?"

"If I tell you, it won't come true," Gale chuckled softly as he spoke.

"It won't come true anyway." Gale let out an exasperated breath, and shook his head as Katniss spoke. She realized what she said sounded harsh. "I just mean, we're seam rats, remember?"

"Yeah," Gale sounded slightly crestfallen, "I know."

"Nothing good will ever happen to us." She didn't even sound sad as she said it.

He looked over at Katniss, she was pulling her father's jacket tightly around her, feeling the night's cold. She felt Gale's eyes on her and looked over. He seemed to be considering something heavily for a second, and then took another deep breath. She tried not to shiver as he watched her, afraid he might offer her his jacket. But he just said, "Good night, Catnip."

"Good night, Gale," she returned as she curled up.

When Katniss woke up, Gale's jacket was covering her.

"Sleep well?"

"No," she said immediately, looking at him like it was a stupid question as she rubbed her sore neck. "Did you?"

He laughed, "No, I guess not. Here, I found this for breakfast." He handed her some nuts he's scrounged. "Are you ready to head back?"

"Yeah," she said, getting up and stretching. "We should try to get back soon. Our families are probably worried."

"Yeah," Gale agreed, offering a hand to Katniss to help her up.

"I'll try to hit a few squirrels or something as we get closer so this trip isn't a total loss."

Gale looked almost hurt as she said that, but he shook his head before she could read him and made a joke. "That's a good idea. Come on, let's go."

She handed him his jacket back, and without another word, they headed home.


	2. Lessons Lost in Dust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Pay attention, Katniss, or you might miss something important."

Katniss's fingers rapped the desk unconsciously as she fidgeted in her chair. She wasn't sure what she hated more, sitting still for countless hours or the stupid lessons she was supposed to be learning. She stared out the window, focusing on the sunlight as she shifted through the trees and the bit of paper dancing in the wind across the dry and dusty courtyard. A few older students were out eating lunch while some of the younger ones played ball on their break. Katniss exhaled audible, desperate to be outside, and this feeling was only heightened when her best friend Gale walked by.

He came out smiling as he tossed the wayward ball to one of the younger children. Katniss couldn't hear what he was saying, but she imagined it friendly, cheerful. Gale somehow always managed that. He took a set at one of the tables and pulled out his lunch. Two of his classmates, or friends, rather, Katniss considered, they were probably his friends, approached him. Gale had lots of friends at school. Everyone liked him, especially the girls, she thought as one walked up to her. Her name was Wren, Katniss thought, and she was Gale's age. She approached the table smiling, and of course Gale smiled back, as the girl flipped her hair and said something sweet and stupid. At least, that's what Katniss thought she said, but Gale was laughing too, and Katniss found herself wishing it was at her and not with her. But she really didn't know. Gale never talked to her about girls. But Katniss knew what the girls said about him. Not that she was jealous, she told herself, at least, not for that reason. Winter was coming soon, and she and Gale were going to have to work extra hard to get all the supplies ready. She didn't need Gale to be distracted. He could do whatever he wanted once they were properly prepared…

"Miss Everdeen?"

Katniss was snatched from her daydream. She looked hollowly at her teacher.

"Miss Everdeen?" Katniss nodded to show she was listening. "Can you explain the first law of attraction to me?"

"Umm." Katniss fumbled. She had no idea what the teacher was talking about. She glanced down at her old, dusty textbook and tried to open it to the right page.

"The laws of attraction Katniss. And how they're important to our study of magnetism?"

"Right. They are important," she said with mock authority.

"And can you tell me how?"

Katniss's silence spoke her answer.

"You need to pay attention, Katniss, or you might miss something important."

"Right," she said again, glancing down at the dying pages of her book with thick with paper and falling apart. She looked at her text, and then back out the window, where Gale was smiling as he waved goodbye to the girl and joking with his friends. She wished she was having as good a time as he was and huffed as she turned back to her book: "Magnetism and Mining…."

. . .

One of the boys Gale was sitting with, Toby, slapped him on the shoulder. "She's into you," he said with a cocky smile. Gale shrugged and seemed indifferent, but Toby wasn't going to let this drop so easily, he looked to their other guy, Forge, for support.

"She definitely likes you," Forge said.

"So?" Gale shrugged off his companions' suggestions.

"What we mean," Toby took back the lead, "is that you could have her." Forge nodded. "She's the type."

"I know what type of girl she is," Gale said, irritation edging his voice.

"Then what are you waiting for? Things are over with you and Lilah, right?"

The look Gale gave him wasn't quite an answer.

Toby could hardly contain himself. "Well, even if you are with Lilah, that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun with Wren…"

"I don't like her," Gale said, looking at his lunch.

"So? You don't have to like her to screw with her," Forge said.

Toby nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Take her back to the slag heap, for a little slag hump?" Toby elbowed Gale and nearly dissolved in a fit of his own giggles. "I'd be there with her right now if she'd come over to talk to me." He had a faraway look in his eye as he said it, no doubt imagining himself with her at the slag heap. When Toby returned from his reverie, he furthered. "Or what…are you having too much fun with Katniss?" Both boys snickered.

Gale brought his eyes up to meet Toby's. The look he gave him said they'd had this conversation before and he didn't want to have it again.

But Toby didn't stop. "Having too much fun with her out in the woods?" he laughed again. "I'll tell you, she doesn't really look like the type, especially when you're got Lilah Jessup and Wren Trelling after you. But it's always the ones who don't look like the type that are the most fun…"

"Toby…" There was more than a warning in Gale's voice.

"…And she must be a lot of fun, to make you ignore Wren like that."

"She's my friend."

"Just your friend?"

"Yes."

"You're really not doing her?"

"No."

"So you don't mind if I have a go at her then?"

Gale realized he minded. He minded a lot. "Toby, shut up." He didn't like people talking about Katniss that way; he didn't stop to think why.

Toby was still laughing, but Forge noticed the gravity in Gale's voice.

"Come on, Gale, you don't get to have all the fun. She's a bit young, but I guess that could be fun…I could probably teach her a thing or two…" Toby playfully slapped Gale's shoulder as she said this, still thinking it was the funniest of jokes.

Gale grabbed his hand quickly before he could remove it and immediately twisted Toby's wrist. His eyes popped with pain as he fell and gasped. "Come on, let go, shit, that hurts!"

Gale held on for a moment longer, squeezing as tightly as he could before releasing.

"Jeez, what's your problem?" Toby said between pants as he rubbed his injured arm.

Gale got up and squeezed Toby's shoulder tightly. "I don't like the way you're talking about my friend. And if I so much as see you looking at her the wrong way, I'll break both your arms, okay?"

A small peep escaped Toby's lips as he tried not to look like he was suffering. "Yeah," he finally got out, "okay, okay…"

He patted him on the back as he walked away, both signaling their understanding and reminding Toby of his strength. Toby almost fell out of his sleep.

. . .

Katniss looked back out the window having written down the assigned homework in her book as classes ended. It was her lunch period now, and she was hoping to catch a glimpse of Gale, maybe have the chance to talk to him, but he was gone now, probably headed to his own class, she figured. He probably had more fun with his friends that he would with her anyhow, she thought to herself as she packed up her books to leave.


	3. A Different Kind of Caring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Katniss, you don't know what this means."

Katniss sat on the rock that had become hers and Gale's as she waited for him. She crouched low, but didn't sit, as the early winter month's held it cold, so she stayed on her feet, her boots doing a slightly better job than her cloths are keeping out the chill. She pulled her father's jacket more tightly around her, what was taking him so long? she thought as she waited. The shadows were growing long. They didn't have much time before it got dark.

She waited another ten minutes before deciding to head out on her own. Her curiosity mixed with irritation as she wondered about Gale's whereabouts. Did he get held after at school? That had happened once because of fighting. Katniss couldn't help but laugh when she saw his black eye the next day, which didn't help his sour mood. He muttered about how the other guy deserved it and how he'd still won in the end. He never did tell her what he was fighting about, no matter how much she asked. Or could he be ill?Gale was generally pretty healthy and even if it was sick, that didn't stop him from going out. He nearly collapsed one time with her the winter before, burning up with a fever. She had to help him walk home, and the only thing that stopped her from scolding him herself was the tongue-lashing his mother gave him. Or could he be with a girl? She knew how all the school girls were after him. Katniss shuddered as she thought of that, not that she cared what Gale did, but she did care if it interfered with their hunting schedule…

Her anger sharpened her shot, however, and after walking around and shivering for almost half an hour, she got three squirrels she found racing around a tree. They fell in quick succession. She ran over to snatch them, holding their small bodies for a second so their heat could seep into her hands before throwing them in her bag and heading back to the fence.

The frozen ground crunched beneath her feet as she walked and she tried to bury herself in her jacket to avoid the wind clawing at her with icy fingers. It was already dark by the time she got back to her house and she was considering whether she should drop some food off to Gale before or after stopping home. She decided she should probably skin them meat too, just in case Gale really was sick, which she hoped he wasn't, but she also realized that if he weren't, that meant he either got in trouble for fighting again or was with some girl, and she didn't want that either. She let out a deep sigh of confusion when her mom surprised her at the door.

"Katniss, thank goodness you're home. I was beginning to worry about you."

"Were you?" Katniss said indifferently as she dragged her bag into the kitchen. She held her hands over the fire for a moment before pulling out a knife and beginning to skin the animals. "Hey, Prim! Want to come help me?"

"She's not here," Katniss's mom interjected, "she's running medicine to the Callows'."

"You let her go out in this weather?"

"She volunteered, Katniss, and I was over at the Tophers'. I've still got to go to the Hawthornes' and the Millers' today…something bad's going around…"

"The Hawthornes'?" Katniss's voice caught.

"Yes, two of the boys are sick this time. It was the girl last week—"

"Which boys? Which two are sick?" There was an urgency in Katniss's voice that surprised her mother.

"One of the younger ones, I think, and I'm not sure which, and—"

"Gale." Katniss said it before her mother did. "I'll go to them. You…you go to the Millers'…." Katniss stumbled on her words as she grabbed the supplies her mother was preparing and threw them in her bag. As she headed out the door, her mother's voice get lost in the wind behind her.

The worry that clenched Katniss's heart was a completely different type of cold than the one that gnawed at her face. She could hardly imagine how sick Gale must be when she found herself at the Hawthorne's door, but she knew the answer was very. They only reason he wouldn't go out was if he couldn't. She didn't even remember knocking at the front door when she heard Mrs. Hawthorne calling from inside "Coming!" and clamor to come open it.

"Hello?" Katniss had never officially met Gale's mother before.

"Hi, I'm, um, I'm Anise's daughter…I brought—"

"Katniss, come in, I know who you are, you must be freezing," Hazelle said, ushering her in. "I know all about you—"

"You do?" Katniss was utterly perplexed.

"Of course," she said with a smile that seemed too warm considering the times, "Gale's told me all about you. You're practically all he talks about sometimes." There was a look on Hazelle's face Katniss couldn't quite place.

"Oh." It came out almost as a question. "I heard he's sick. I brought," she started pulling out the contents of her bag, sputtering as one of the squirrels fell onto the floor, "oh, sorry, I brought you that too, I figured you were hungry…and here," she said, finally finding the medicine, "this is from my mom," she gave the supplies to Gale's mom.

"Thank you, Katniss, you don't know what how much this means," Hazelle said as she walked into the kitchen to start preparing the broth.

"Don't mention it," Katniss said, bending down to get the squirrel and other items she'd dropped and tried to figure out how she was going to ask about Gale.

When she got up, Gale was looking right at her.

"Hey, Catnip."

Katniss's mouth formed a zero that signaled her comprehension. "Uh, um. Gale, I thought you were…you're…you're okay?" By the time she found her voice, it came out accusatory.

"Yeah. Both my brothers are sick though. I'm sorry I couldn't make it out today, I had to help take care of—"

Before Gale could finish his sentence, Katniss dove in for a hug. She caught Gale off guard, this was the first time she'd hugged him. He quickly returned it and liked holding her in his strong arms. "Hey, I'm fine," he said softly into his hair. He felt bad, he didn't realize how much she cared.

"I thought you must have been dying!" She shoved him, breaking away from the hug and trying to hide her concern. She slapped him with the dead squirrel she held by the tail in her hand. "I thought…"

"I'm sorry I worried you. I tried to tell you at school, I just didn't get a chance."

"You tried," she scoffed with an expression somewhere in between a sneer and a pout.

Gale let one of his hand train slowly down her arm and squeezed her hand reassuringly when he got there. "Sorry," he mouthed again.

Hazelle looked back from the kitchen smiling at her son and the girl.

"Well, I brought you squirrel for dinner," she said. He knew this was the closest he was going to get to being forgiven.

"So this is for eating not throwing?" he joked.

She glared at him. He wasn't sure if she was actually angry, or blushing. "Be nice or I won't give you the second one."

Gale laughed, "Thanks," he said with an honest smile, "I mean it." She smiled back quickly, before looking away.

"Well, you take care of yourself, okay? I don't want to have to go finding another hunting partner. It took me long enough to train you."

"Don't you worry about it, Catnip, I'm not going anywhere."

"Good."

Gale smiled. He looked over to his mom and caught her eye before turning back to Katniss. "Hey, do you want to stay for dinner?"

Katniss looked for a second like she didn't understand the question. "Oh, um, I don't want to impose."

Gale had to stop himself from laughing. He wasn't sure Katniss had ever used the word imposed before in her life. "Katniss, you caught the squirrels."

He did have a point, she realized, and her mother and sister were probably still out. But while she'd seen his brothers at school, she didn't know his family and it felt weird for some reason. Gale could sense her discomfort and didn't press the matter, but he held his breath as he waited for her answer.

"You're sure it's not a problem?"

"It's the opposite of a problem."

"Okay then," she looked down and traced a curve on the ground as she said it, missing Gale beam.

"Gale, honey," his mother called, spooning the broth into two bowls, "would you start dinner while I give this to your brothers?"

"Of course," he jumped immediately at his mother's request. Katniss didn't know why, but she smiled watching them. Hazelle touched him sweetly as she took a try into the bedroom.

"Do you need any help?" Katniss said, coming over.

"Sure. Do you want to skin the squirrels? Or cut the potatoes?" Katniss looked at him as if the answer were obvious. Gale smiled and took out a a few potatoes and handed a knife to Katniss. "I think we've got some salt down there," he gestured as he began working on the meat.

"Oh, now, Posy, what are you doing in her? Leave your brothers alone, they need to rest. Oh, I don't know," Hazelle responded to her daughter's quite voice, "go help your brother in the kitchen."

Gale looked at Katniss and rolled his eyes, as if signaling trouble upon hearing this. His toddler sister immediately came lumbering into the room. "Hey, who are you?" She demanded, trying to pull herself up on a stool. Gale wordlessly went over to help her and put a few crackers in front of her.

"I'm Katniss."

"Oh," Posy considered for a moment, "who's that?"

Katniss laughed and looked at the tough little girl. She thought she might like her.

"I'm Gale's friend," she said, looking at the little girl.

"Which one?" Posy asked.

Katniss shifted a bit uncomfortably at hearing that, remembering how popular Gale was.

"She's my best friend, Posy, you know the one I go hunting with."

"Oh, the one you say is pretty-"

"The one I say is pretty good at what?" Gale immediately jumped in, nervously looking at his friend. Katniss didn't seem to notice.

"Ummm..."

"Come on, Posy, I've told you about Katniss. What is she good at?"

"She's good at...arrows?" Posy's voice was unconvincing.

Katniss laughed and Gale exhaled the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. "Right," he said. "She's good at a lot more than that." Both Posy and Katniss looked at him with questioning eyes this time. Gale laughed and starting talking about all the things Katniss could do.

"Did you teach her all that, Gale?" Posy said in the voice of a child who believed her big brother could do anything. If it hadn't been for that voice, Katniss wouldn't have told her no, but she just kept quiet instead.

"I haven't taught her that much," Gale conceded.

"Not how to fight," Katniss said almost as a cough.

Gale rolled his eyes and nudged her, looking in the direction of his mother. He did not want Katniss bringing this up now. Ever since he'd gotten that black eye, she'd kept asking him to teach her how to fight.

"Who says I know how to fight? I do have a black eye," he'd tried to dissuade her every time she'd asked.

"Only everyone at school!"

"Come on, Catnip."

"Please! You never know when I might need to punch someone."

Gale couldn't help but laugh at that. She did have a point. "Fine," eventually conceded, "I'll teach you a few things. But this doesn't mean you get to go asking for trouble."

She'd given him a "who, me?" look that he knew was beginning to have too much of an effect on him. Similar to the look she was giving him now.

He took a deep breath. "Finished?" he asked looking at the potatoes.

"Oh, yeah."

Gale grabbed them and put them in a big pot of boiling water and added the squirrel meat and a few other items to make a stew. Once it was cooking, he grabbed his tiny sister and carried her to the floor to play. Katniss took a seat on one of the stools watching as Posy squealed with laughter and ran about him. They both seemed so happy. She didn't understand it.

"How's dinner coming?" his mom asked as she came out.

"It's cooking," Gale said as if that was a sufficient answer. Hazelle gave her son a look he didn't see and went over to check the pot. "How're the boys?" Gale asked with a more serious tone.

"They're both sleeping now. Their fevers are down. Katniss tell your mother thank you so much."

Katniss shrugged, uncomfortable thinking about her mother, especially now that she saw how Gale's family interacted. "I'll tell her."

"Are you joining us for dinner?"

"Yeah," Gale quickly said, "that's okay, right?"

"Oh, of course," Hazelle sounded as if she honestly couldn't have been happier, "we're happy to have you. You're mother's not going to worry about you, though?" Katniss was surprised Hazelle asked this, surprised because that meant she thought about it.

"She never worries about much of anything," she said offhandedly and didn't notice the look Hazelle gave her son.

"Well, I'm so glad you're here," Hazelle said with a warm smile that seemed effortless as she began pulling out dishes. Gale got up and began to set the table without even being asked. "I want to hear all about you."


	4. Trading Troubles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Will you wait for me, Katniss?"

"Hey pretty girl, what you got there?" A young man with greasy black hair called to Katniss as she walked by.

"Go away, Cadd," Katniss said, holding her bag tightly in front of her and focusing on making it to the Hob. Cadd was a low-life who made his way by stealing and swindling in the streets of the Seam.

"Where's your boyfriend this fine evening?"

"Gale's not my boyfriend." She was not in the mood for their antics.

"Come on, we're just curious." He called as he ran up to her, his friend Scrapper following closely behind. "What would a sweet girl like you be taking to a place like that at this hour?" His voice dripped with mock-concern.

"You're not up to no good, now are you?" the other taunted.

"No," Katniss said with a heavy breath, looking down.

She realized why Gale kept telling her not to go to the Hob alone. She could practically hear his voice ringing in her ears...I don't want you to go alone, Catnip.

Why? You think I'll gyp you? she'd said almost playfully back at him, but her smile flickered when she saw a shadow cross Gale's eye.

He took a deep breath, "Katniss, will you wait for me, please? We can go tomorrow?

"I guess," she'd huffed, before leaving Gale to deliver the coal he sometimes did for extra money. She was halfway home when she decided to just go to the Hob that night and get the trading over with. This will save us both time tomorrow, she told herself, and Gale is just being ridiculous, though now, she wasn't so sure.

"You're not headed to the Hob, now are you?" Cadd was uncomfortably close to her.

"No," she said again, huffing resolution and trying to stay focused.

"It attracts criminals and such," Cadd cackled, his smile like a slice in his skin.

"You'd know about that more than me," she said.

Cadd laughed and clapped, as if to tell Katniss she were doing a good job. "Is that so?"

Her eyes darted to each man, uncertain, but also challenging. "Yes."

Scrapper agreed. "You won't mind if we just have a little looksie, then?" Scrapper giggled gleefully as he snatched for her bag, but she pulled it away from him, knocking his arm as she did. "Ohh," he mouthed with an impressed smile, "feisty." But as she moved against Scrapper, his friend, Cadd was able to grab her bag, twisting it from her as the loop tangled her arm.

"Oww," she gasped more in surprise than pain as she turned her attention to Cadd and tried to wiggle free and reclaim it. "Let go!" she said with a rising voice, but Scrapper put his hand over her mouth and pulled her around the corner.

"Now we can do this the easy way, or the fun way. We'll let you decide," He almost purred, his breath running across her skin and making her stomach sink.

She stopped fighting for her bag and let Cadd have it.

"Aww," he said, somehow sounding both gleeful and disappointed, "I was hoping you'd pick the fun way," he laughed as he dumped out the content of her bag. "Now, what do we have here," he said, kicking the items with his foot: two pelts Gale'd made, several folds of herbs from her mother, some arrows and dried meat.

"Anything good?" Scrapper said, his breath slogging across her skin again. Katniss felt the need to control her gag reflex. Why hadn't she just waited for Gale like he wanted?

"Nah," Cadd said, kicking her stuff to the side and stepping on it as he walked over to Katniss. Katniss tried not to let her fear and anger show. "You're not a very good criminal, are you?" He said, voice dropping as getting close. "No smokes, no booze. Tell me, pretty, you got anything else we might like?" He flicked the end of her braid and got uncomfortably close. Katniss tried to break free, but Scrapper was holding her tight.

"Let go of me," Katniss tried to say, though the words barely made it through her lips as she tasted Scrapper's grimy finger as he forced it in her mouth. She tried to mumble again, but the grip just got tighter.

. . .

Gale wiped the sweat from his brow and waved goodbye to the Marple's after dropping off his last load of coal for the evening. Despite his perspiration, he could feel the cold night air curve around him, and he tightened his jacket as he pushed the wheelbarrow back to the mines. A few pieces rattled in the bottom as he walked. This is what Gale had been counting on-he not only volunteered for this job for the few coins tossed his way by the mine's foreman, who'd been a friend of his father's, but also for the scraps he could take home to his family and Katniss's. Gale collected what turned out to be a decent amount of coal from the bottom. This is going to be enough to get us all through the week, he thought happily as he scooped the coal shards into his bag.

"Thanks Mr. Tucker!" Gale said, returning the wheelbarrow as he stuffed his blackened and cold hands in his pockets, holding the coins tight in his fist so they didn't fall through the hole he felt in the bottom of one. He marched off to Katniss's house to give her her share of the coal.

"Gale," Mrs. Everdeen said, surprised to see him at the door. "What brings you by? Is Katniss okay?"

Now Gale was surprised, "Umm, she's not here?"

"No," her mother said, her mouth twitching from warm smile to a worried frown. "I thought she was still with you."

"Oh, she's probably still trading at the Hob," Gale said, trying to reassure Mrs. Everdeen and knowing exactly that's where Katniss must have gone, "she likes to drive a hard bargain, you know,"

"Right…Well, thanks for the coal, Gale, you really didn't have to."

"Of course I did. Take care." His face didn't betray his concern and he said goodbye.

"Good night dear." Katniss's mother waved.

Gale held the smile until the door shut, and as soon as it did, he broke into a jog directly towards the Hob.

Gale cursed silently as his pace quickened towards the Hob. Of course Katniss didn't listen to him, she never did, she was so stubborn, though, to be fair, he thought, he didn't really explain his reasoning, he just didn't want scare her. But he knew the things people were staring to say about her, and he knew what the guys were thinking were always worse. What the guys at school had said was bad enough, the one's who'd noticed she'd developed and liked her look of dark mystery. He'd heard the occasional comment, seen many eyes linger too long, the licked lip, breathy mutter. Gale tried not to overreact when he'd first heard the comments, he didn't want to overstep his bounds or imply anything. But one day one of his classmates went too far, and before he'd even had the chance to think, he fist was in the other boy's face. That boy got one good punch in, giving Gale a black eye, but one punch only. He made sure it'd be the last good punch anyone ever got on him. And the last sleezy comment anyone made about Katniss. But that was only at school, and the guys at the Hob...Now, Gale was running.

. . .

The harder Katniss struggled, the tighter Scrapper's hold became and the more Cadd laughed. "Ohh come on," he said, "we just want a looksie," he laughed as his hand began to slide up her shirt.

Katniss tried to scream, again causing Scrapper's hand to cup her mouth. Which is exactly what's she been hoping for. This time she bit down, and hard.

"What the, damn!" he cried, in shock and pain he let go.

Out from his control, Katniss swiftly hit Cadd, nearly breaking his nose the way Gale'd taught her too after she'd asked him how to fight. He too was caught off guard and cursed as his hands cupped his face.

"You little-" she kicked him swiftly in the shin, and before he could finish his insult, he lost his balance and tripped over himself as he tried to restabilize.

Katniss frantically grabbed her bag and a handful of her things, leaving the rest behind, she stuffed them into her bag and quickly ran out of the alley.

As she turned the corner, she could hear them recovering themselves and coming after her.

"Now, you're going to get it." Scrapper threatened. He was angry. His friend wasn't.

"So you do choose the fun way," Cadd said in a singsong tone, he laughter already assaulting her.

Katniss picked up her face, and looked back, seeing them gain on her, as she turned the next corner.

She nearly smacked into Gale.

"Whoa..Catnip?" Gale said, completely surprised. He held her at arm's length and looked down at her. She looked horrified, on the verge of tears.

"Gale!" her first tone was desperate, "sorry," she quickly followed, recovering herself.

Gale's brain was trying to figure out what'd just happened when Cadd and Scrapper nearly tripped over themselves, halting as the turned the corner. He looked down at her near-tears and the one bloody nose.

Gale knew it. He immediately guided Katniss behind him and stood protectively in front of her.

"Well, if it isn't the good giant himself," Scrapper said thick with disgust.

Gale didn't say anything but stood solidly in front of her, his eyes almost daring either to take a swing at him.

"Hey, we don't want any trouble."

"Is that so?" Gale said in a cutting voice.

"Yeah, we're just out having a little fun," Cadd said, laughing again. "But you don't look like you're in the mood for fun, so we'll just be on our way." He reached out to his friend and they headed in the opposite direction, leaving only his laughter with them.

"Are you okay?" Gale turned to her, voice suddenly soft. "What happened?"

"I'm fine. They just wanted…" Katniss couldn't make herself look him in the eye. her voice cracked, "they just tried to get my bag."

Gale saw her hands shaking as she held it out to him, as if it were proof of her story and that she'd protected it.

He brought her into a tight hug and for the first time, she didn't push him to let go.


	5. Digging Deep (Part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Katniss, are you sure you want to do this?"

The early morning light of spring staved off some of the winter chill that still lingered, and Katniss felt exhilarated by the crisp morning air. She was smiling when she came out of the forest and saw Gale waiting for her at their spot. He seemed equally lost in thought and didn't notice her until she was only a few yards away from him.

"Hey, you better be careful or a wild animal could get you," she called with a smile.

Gale shook his head and laughed, "I'll take my chances."

She jumped down beside him. "You might want to reconsider. I was practically on top of you." Gale's laughter caught and turned into a small cough. "I could have shot you," she looked at him seriously, as if trying to communicate the danger.

"Well," Gale said, leaning in slightly, "most wild animals don't have bows, so, I'll still take my chances."

He got a laugh from her this time. She adjusted her position and looked out. "This is the first nice weather we've had in a while."

"Yeah," Gale said, "it's appropriate."

"Appropriate?" Katniss turned to Gale, her brow wrinkled with confusion. When she looked at him, he was holding a cookie.

"Happy Birthday."

She looked so uncomprehendingly for a few moments that Gale was almost worried he'd gotten her birthday wrong. They'd never exchanged anything before, but he was certain today was her birthday. He'd asked her mother and had Rory ask her sister, just to be sure.

"But…why…Gale, what's this?"

"This is a cookie," he held it up to her to examine as proof and a smile started to tug at her lips.

"You didn't have to," she insisted.

"I know," he said looking out at the mountains again, "but I wanted an excuse to eat a cookie."

"Oh, I have to share it?"

"You better share it," he looked back at her, "and plus, sixteen is kind of a big deal."

"It is?"

"Yeah," Gale said finally the cookie to her. Some of the families with a bit of extra money to spare would throw parties for girls when they turned sixteen, to present them to society, to say they were ready to be courted and married. Gale found himself glad Katniss wasn't having such a party.

She smiled and took a bite, a few crumbs chipping off and falling on her. "Oh my god, is there chocolate in this?" Gale nodded. She closed her eyes for a second, savoring the sugar and chocolate, and then passed the cookie back to Gale. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

"Don't mention it," he shrugged, but she put her hand on his and caught his eye. He held her gaze for only a second before taking his bite.

"This is really good," she said, mouth still partially full, "oh, it didn't cost you too much, did it?"

"Nope," Gale said, looking away, and gesturing that she could have the rest as she tried to pass it to him. Katniss couldn't tell if he was being honest, and she knew he'd never tell her what it cost him.

"So I guess this means I've got to get you something extra nice for your birthday," she immediately began to calculate, always determined to make their relationship even. That's what being partners meant to her.

"No, Katniss, this isn't about-"

"Ahh," she silenced him playfully, "if sixteen is a big deal, then eighteen certainly-" but this time she silenced herself. Eighteen. Gale turned eighteen this year. It'd be his last year in the reaping, but also the year with his highest chance. Gale probably had his name in more than anybody—the chances of his name being chosen. She tried not to think of it. She crunched her last bite to mask her silence, but she knew he was thinking it too. She gulped almost audibly and recovered, "so I should get you what, like two cookies?" She knocked his shoulder.

He smiled, and only after knowing him for so long did she catch that this smile was a second slower than his natural ones. This one took a bit more effort. Gale'd signed up for more tesserae than ever before this year. His mother had gotten sick, and Vick and Rory were starting to grow just like he had. Each of those boys could eat more than Katniss's whole family combined, though they rarely got to. She wished she could think of something to make him feel better the way he always seemed to be able to do for her, but as she searched her brain for something to say, the air disappeared in a violent sound.

Katniss didn't have time to ask what it was before she knew-the mine.

Gale knew it too and was already on his feet. They left behind their weapons and water on their stone as they both fled in the direction of town.

Katniss was choked with fear and memories of her father dying in the mine explosion, fighting them off more than the forest underbrush and they flew to the fence. Neither stopped to care or look if anyone saw them. Katniss grabbed his hand as he helped her through, and didn't let go, for his support as much as he speed, and they rushed to the mine entrance.

"Mr. Tucker," Gale found his voice before Katniss could, "what happened? What's wrong?"

The old mine foreman grabbed Gale's shoulder gruffly and solemnly looked him in the eye. Mr. Tucker had been a good friend of Gale's father and knew him well. "The elevator collapsed."

Gale let out a deep breath.

"What does that mean, Gale? What does that mean?" She was holding his hand tightly. All she saw were explosions in her mind.

Gale took a moment to sort his thoughts and fears and then looked at Katniss steadily. "It means the mines didn't collapse but the men are trapped down there."

Katniss didn't understand what that meant. "But what…what…." She spoke like a fish trying to breath out of water. Gale squeezed her hand reassuringly and took her face with his other before letting go. She watching him throw off his jacket and run to the opening of the mine with several other men, all who'd gathered to help.

"Katniss, Katniss," She didn't know how many times Mr. Tucker had said her name before she finally heard him. "Go get your mother, okay? We'll probably need her."

"What, my mom?" She didn't understand why her mom would be helpful here.

"Yes, we'll need her help when we get them out."

"I'm not sure…I don't know how my mom will help."

"We might need a healer." He was starting to sound annoyed.

"Right. I mean, I don't know how she'll handle…"

"She can handle it however she has to. Just get her here."

Katniss gulped and nodded and then ran.

There hadn't been a mining accident since the one that claimed her and Gale's father's lives. Even though it had happened almost four years ago, Katniss was shaking as badly as if it were the same day. Fresh horror ripped through her mind and she felt like she was trying to breath air as thick as coal dust—but she wasn't. The air out here was clear, and it was time she got ahold of herself. If Katniss couldn't keep it together, there was no way her mother'd be able to. The woman had hardly functioned since her father died, and when Katniss thought about how little respect she had for her because of it, it steeled her nerves to control herself. And, she realized, Gale's father had died in that same accident, and he didn't hesitate to help. He didn't let his fear hold him back, if he had any, he couldn't, he'd have to start working down there soon, after he turned eighteen, and Katniss had to fight back tears as she realized threat Gale faced wasn't the number of names in Reaping, it was

every day after. Every day he'd get up and work like a slave, just waiting for there to be another accident.

Katniss shoved these thoughts aside as she reached her house. "Mom!" she called, throwing open the door. "Mom, are you here? We have to go to the mines!"

Katniss spun and searched, but her mother wasn't there.

"Your mother already left."

"What?" Katniss pivoted, searching for the voice. It was the old lady who lived next door, Mrs. Fink.

"As soon as the sirens started, she left." Mrs. Fink must have seen the confusion on her face. "To the mines, dear, she went with your sister."

Katniss almost knocked the old lady as she ran back to town. Her thoughts flew past her like the streets she passed, blurs of names on her spent breath—what? —mom?—Prim? —Gale?

She was panting by the time she made it back. A line of men surrounded the elevator opening, talking as pointing as they tried to figure things out.

"Have you," she nearly choked on her words, "have you seen my mom?" she asked the first person to pass her.

"The healer, right? She's over there," Katniss followed the pointed finger and didn't even remember if she'd spoken to a man of a woman. She gulped a breath and ran.

"Mom? Prim?!" She rushed to the side of one of the shacks nearest the mine opening.

"Prim, water now, and I need some more bandages!" Katniss's mom spoke shakily, but people listened. A few other women, wives of miners, rushed about, ill practiced but well intended, trying to help. "Alright, Morris, I need to you to try and move your shoulder." She looked a middle aged man in the eye as he held a bloodied rag to his head, "on the count of three…"

"Prim!" Katniss jogged up to her sister, "what's going on?"

"There's been a mining accident."

Katniss tried not to roll her eyes, "I know, but, what are you and mom doing?"

"Helping. Here, take this to that man over there," Prim pushed a stack of bandages in her sister's hands and gestured to a guy whose shirt was covered in blood. Another woman was helping him take it off. Katniss recognized him, he was the father of one of her classmates from school. "Clean off the blood, okay? So mom and I can see if he needs any stitches."

Katniss obeyed, trying to process the information. Her mother and Prim weren't freaking out…They got the mines out…everything was going to be okay. She knew there was a thought forming in her head, trying to reach her, but she was too focused on the woman fussing about her and the men moaning, so she focused on her task.

"Hi, Mr. Jessup, right?" she said with a soft smile as she sat down next to the man. He nodded through his grimaced face. "How are you feeling?"

The man let out a deep sigh. "Believe it or not, I've had worse days," he said with a sort-of shrug.

Katniss almost laughed and looked at him kindly. "I'm glad you made it out," she said dabbing to his wound as he talked to her. She only partially listened as she shuffled through her own thoughts and listened to the other women fussing about her.

"We should have known it was the support shaft," Mr. Jessup muttered, Katniss assumed mostly to himself, as he washed the towel on bowl of water. "Not the actual elevator. Damn thing collapsed…"

"I don't know what they're doing to do about the others," the woman next to her, Bess, said as she attended some man's knee.

There were people still down there? Katniss thought to herself.

"They'll find a way to get them out," the man with the knee wound said. "I just feel bad about the boy," the man continued.

The boy? What boy?

"I know, poor Hazelle."

Hazelle? Katniss's heart stopped. She dropped the cloth and turned to Bess and the other man.

"Did you say, Hazelle?"

"Yes," Bess said, shaking her head with a slight frown.

"Hazelle Hawthorne?"

"Yes."

"What about her?"

"It's just so sad, after what happened to her husband…" Bess looked almost teary eyed.

"What's sad?" Her voice cracked, and Bess and the man she attended looked alarmed.

"We needed someone to go down the elevator shaft, to see what was broken." Katniss stared at the man wide eyed as he told her this. Why was he telling her this? she thought angrily. "Hazelle's son…he went down there."

Oh.

Katniss stuffed the cloth she was using to wipe Mr. Jessup in his own hand and fled to the mine's entrance. He, and perhaps others, were calling her name, but the only name she heard was: Gale, Gale, Gale. It pounded in her ears with her heart.

When Katniss arrived at the entrance of the mine, several men were circled, discussing their options. Some looked heated, others nodded solemnly. Katniss didn't care if she wasn't included.

"Mr. Tucker?"

The men, most of whom were managers in the mine, looked at her strangely, but Mr. Tucker, knowing her, frowned and shook his head. "Katniss," he began, lifting his hand as if that, or anything, could keep her at bay.

"Where is he?"

"Katniss," he said again, like she needed to know her name.

"Where's Gale?" This time, she shouted.

Mr. Tucker left the others and took her aside. "Look, we didn't know there was any structural damage to the shaft, we thought that just a cable had snapped or the pulley gone off line…"

"Why are you telling me this?" Her voice was almost cracking.

"Gale volunteered to go down."

"How are we going to get him out?"

Mr. Tucker looked at her sadly and frowned. He knew how close she and Gale were. The few times he'd hired Gale for extra work, she was all the boy would talk about. He'd always smile and be reminded of when he was young and in love.

Today, he wasn't smiling. "Katniss, I've got forty men trapped down there that I know are alive."

"So?" Her eyes were wide and white.

"Katniss, Gale went down into an elevator shaft that collapsed."

She still didn't understand and she could see it.

"It collapsed on top of him. The chances that he survived…."

"There's still a chance!" she almost bit the air in front of her.

"There might be, but I've got forty other men." He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sorry. They're my first priority." He looked down and walked away, joining the other men trying to figure out what to do.

Katniss spun slowly, not sure what to make of the world, not understanding anything. She felt dizzy and nauseous and thought she might fall down and crumble. She couldn't shake the images from the nightmares she had after her dad died—gray clouds of dusty washing over her like hideous waves, she could almost taste the smoke and ash, feel the weight of the world falling in on her.

For Gale, these images weren't from memories or nightmares, they were his present. And she had to save him.

"Mr. Tucker!" she jogged back to him, interrupting his meeting. "What can I do?"

"What?"

"To help Gale. Tell me what I can do…there has to be…something. You get your other men out, but I'm getting Gale."

"Katniss," he spoke calmly and with patience because he liked the boy too, and while the manager in him knew his duty was to all the other men, damn, if he didn't want to get Gale Hawthorne out too. He looked the young girl up and down, seeing she was serious. "You're serious?"

"Yes," she nodded her head fervently.

"Okay, come here," he lead her over to a small work station and showed her a map of the mine. "Here's the elevator shaft," he pointed to a line that shot straight down. "The men are all trapped below it," he pointed to the lines connection to the shaft, "and Gale," he exhaled sharply, considering what verb tense to use—the conditional? Might be? Could be? One look at the girl's eyes told him there was no point speaking in what ifs. "He's trapped above it. This shaft is useless now, there's no going back down it, we'll just risk destabilizing it more, crushing Gale. And the only other exit is on this side," He pointed to the other side of the elevator, the side that was being blocked by the downed equipment.

"So are we getting them out?" She tried not to let her voice tremble as she looked at the hopeless map. It didn't look like there were any options. "I mean, there aren't any…" She couldn't make herself actually say it.

"Crane," Mr. Tucker called over another man. He jogged over carrying a rolled up piece of parchment and flattened it before them. "This is an old map to the abandoned parts of the mine."

Katniss's eyes looked at the vast and cavernous image before her. It reminded her of the skeleton of a monster. It horrified her.

"This," Mr. Tucker said, "is an old passage," he flipped back to the first map. The passage was very near to the place all the men were locked in. "The men can use this passage to get over to the other exit," he flipped back to the old map. Katniss nodded her head excitedly. "Only they don't know it's there. They aren't thinking about going deeper into the mine to get out." Katniss followed his finger and saw that that's what they'd have to do to get out.

"Okay." This meant they could get out, right? This was good?

"You're still serious about helping?"

"Yes," Katniss said automatically.

"Okay," he said, flipping back to the old map. "This," he pointed, "is an air shaft into the old mine," her eyes followed his finger deep down into the mine. The air shaft was deep and far from the old passage the men would have to go through. "And the air shaft is very tiny, none of my men will fit through it." He lifted his eyes from the map to her. She stood uncomprehending for a second and then she understood.

He wanted her to go down it—to crawl down into the depths of the mine that killed her father.

The only thing that terrified her more than going down into those mines was the idea of losing the only other man she'd ever loved to them.

"I'm in."


	6. Digging Deeper (Part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I've got all I ever wanted right here."

The men carefully lowered Katniss into the hole. She clung tightly to the harness she sat in, watching Mr. Tucker's face grow smaller and smaller.

"Remember," he said solemnly as she nodded up at him, "through the large room, it'll be the second passage, and then up the old elevator shaft, a few stories, through another two rooms, the smaller one is the storage room, it'll have the door to the passage where the miners are on the other side…"

The shadows of the mines swallowed Katniss whole before he could see her nod her comprehension.

Katniss didn't know how long it took them to lower her down, but it felt like hours. She nearly screamed when her feet hit the floor, but stopped herself, afraid of what the echo might knock the whole place down. She looked up and the white light at the opening, it was smaller than a tear drop. She put her feet on the ground, hearing a deafening crunch and she switched on her head light and took a deep breath. The air tasted like cold and ash and death.

The beam of light in front of her did not reach the wall. She looked in the opposite direction, the light fell about twenty feet before her and anything could lie beyond it. She gulped so loudly it echoed and willed her feet to walk. They didn't. The muscles in her body froze.

Move, Katniss, move, she told herself again and again, but her feet remained rooted. She thought she could taste the death in the air down here and her heart was beating so loudly, she was afraid it might cause the roof to collapse. Move, Katniss, she willed again, and one of her feet moved. She didn't know where. She didn't know. She was going on pure faith that when she set it down, ground would be there. And it was. Okay, she thought, that wasn't so bad. Just do it again. And again. And she did. And suddenly, she was walking.

The light attached to her helmet was weak, but it was her entire world down her. She walked for minutes before she finally saw a wall. A few abandoned wheelbarrows and tools discarded along its side. She had to walk along it for several more yards before she found the two doors, and took the second one.

This passage was a long, dark tunnel that slightly tilted upwards. She could touch the walls on either side if she wanted to, but she didn't. She walked along it, listening to her heart pound so heavily she could almost swear she could hear it echo.

How had her father been able to work down here every day? She wondered, feeling like the very air was killing her now, choking her lungs. And there was so much darkness down here, it was almost heavy. She could feel it weighing on her, seeping into her skin, the way the sun did, but only opposite.

Katniss remembered for the first time in a long time her father scowling when he came home from work. His stiff shoulders, aching as he reached to hug them. The effort straining his voice as he spun her and her sister around after coming home. When she thought of him, she always remembered him smiling, but now that she considered it, he only ever smiled in the woods. Like she did. Like Gale did.

She wasn't going to let Gale suffer the same fate as their fathers and marched resolutely forward into the darkness.

She nearly screamed as she tripped on old coils and cables, approaching the old elevator shaft. Looking down, she saw the rusting mess and wondered if her father had ever had to take that elevator shaft down; if he'd ever walked through these halls. She let her fingers trail along the cold, hard wall as she peeked inside the shaft.

Her small headlight disappeared in the blackness, offering her no sign of an end. Who needs to know when it'll end, anyway? She told herself, grabbing the corroded handles that lined the wall and pulling herself up. The broken metal of the grips sliced her fingers into several tiny cuts, but she didn't let it stop her as she climbed upwards. She'd only made it about up about six rungs when one slipped and she nearly fell. She thought her heart might have fallen through her chest when the holding came out, but she clutched tightly the next handle and steadied herself, willing her heart to return to her, and continued up.

She made it up ten more pegs before she fell. Her scream shot through the tunnel and echoed loudly as it came back to her, almost mocking. She sat, tears falling from her eyes, cursing the pain in her ankle and tailbone. Minutes passed. The world remained silent and dark and she finally told herself she had to get up. She took the handles carefully, very carefully, and slowly made her assent.

She nearly screamed again when she reached up and felt no new handle to cling on to, but looked up and realized she'd made it to the top. She nearly flung herself up over the edge, body aching from the climb, hands raw and slick with blood, and heart hammering in her ears. "A few stories my ass," she spat snidely, recalling Mr. Tucker's comment, and plowed ahead through the next two rooms.

"I'm coming, Gale," she muttered to herself, remembered the sound of his laughter from this morning, the shape of his smile, the light in his eyes. It seemed to be the only light down here.

The smaller, old storage room was easy to identify as she saw the remnants of old boxes, carts, cords, cables, and wheels lying around it. However, it seemed to be some sort of central storage room, and it had doors on all sides. Which door is it? She suddenly panicked.

Mr. Tucker had had her recite his instructions about twenty times, and she said them to herself again and again now, staring at three doors in front of her and another on the adjacent wall.

"Through the large room, it'll be the second passage, and then up the old elevator shaft, a few stories, through another two rooms, the smaller one is the storage room, it'll have the door to the passage where the miners are on the other side…"

Shit, she swore to herself, shit, shit, shit. I must be forgetting something! She spun around feeling hopeless and panicked.

"Through the large room, it'll be the second passage, and then up the old elevator shaft, a few stories, through another two rooms, the smaller one is the storage room, it'll have the door to the passage where the miners are on the other side…"

She said it to herself again and again, feeling the darkness swallowing her. She imagined herself searching down here, getting lost and dying. All the miners on the other side, slowly starving or suffocating. More men trying to come down and recuse them, getting hurt like Gale did.

Gale, his name popped her eyes open and forced herself to focus. Gale'd never let her down once, not in their entire relationship. He'd never not had her back, always been there for her. She wasn't going to let him down now.

She got up and determinedly marched to the first door and threw it open. It let out an ancient creak and bellow, and she desperately held on to the handle as she realized that it wasn't a door to a room, but another shaft, no ground before her. She threw herself back and didn't dare go near it again. She went to another door and wrestled as hard as could to open it, but it didn't budge. Her injured hands were hardly any help, and she was afraid to throw herself against it in case it opened to another shaft. She momentarily imagined herself throwing herself down it, but got ahold of herself and told herself that would be her last resort. She moved to the next door, which easily opened to some sort of old control panel full of knobs and piping. Her heart began to flutter. The next door had to be it! She was almost to Gale. But then, she was hit with a wave of panic. What if it wasn't? She pushed all her thoughts aside and opened the next door, holding her breath as it swung wide, revealing the next passage.

Despite her injured ankle from the fall, she barreled down the passage, and when it ended, she screamed, "Hello?"

She heared a muffled sound from far away, and she looked in all directions blindly until she saw several small circle lights snap to life. The miners!

"Hello!" she screamed again, running towards the small lights until she was close enough to see the forms of men.

Many mumbled incomprehensibly. She heard bits of prayers and profanity.

"What the hell?"

"Oh, thank the good god."

"Is that a girl?"

One man stood up and approached her. His name was Dustin Bracks.

"Is Gale Hawthorne with you?" she said breathlessly.

The old man chuckled. In the dim light, she couldn't quite place his face, but she knew she knew him. "Is that what you came down here for?''

"Yes," she said quickly, and then added, "I mean, and the rest of you. But they lowered him down the elevator shaft, to see if he could fix it, but it collapsed—"

"Yeah, we heard it," the man said in a tone she couldn't read.

She looked at him with wide, lamp-like eyes. "Don't worry," he finally said with a guffaw, slapping her on the back, "we heard the damn thing tumble down and dug him out."

"So he's okay?" She could feel the hope rising within her, like all the darkness that had just seeped in was running out.

"He will be," he man chuckled again, moving aside and pointing.

Gale was reclined next to a few men. One was holding a towel to his head, but he was awake.

"Gale," Katniss cried, falling on her knees besides him. "Oh, my god, Gale!"

"Catnip?" He seemed utterly confused.

"Yeah, I came to rescue you."

A few of the surrounding me laughed as she said that.

"How the hell did you get down here?"

"I went down an old airshaft."

"By yourself?"

"Yes, but it's all part of Mr. Tucker's plan…"

"But how?"

Katniss cupped Gale's face in her hand and didn't understand why he seemed so concerned.

"We think the boy's got a concussion," Dustin said, "so don't mind his muttering too much." Katniss gulped, trying to process that information. "But if you don't mind, I'd rather hear about how you plan on getting out of her rather than how you got down."

"Right," Katniss said, and explained Mr. Tucker's plan and then pointed the way.

The group of men carefully filed their way into the old passage and approached the exit, taking turns helping to carry Gale, who, Katniss noticed, was very out of it.

Mr. Tucker's men had cleared out an old exit, though, and by the time the group arrived, sun light and fresh air were streaming in. They rushed Gale over to her mother's hospital tent, and she diagnosed him with a mild concussion and dislocated shoulder. He screamed when they popped it back in place, but when he woke up later that night, he didn't recall the pain and only grumbled about having to wear a sling for a few weeks.

"Some birthday," he muttered as she sat next to him on her mother's table. Her mom insisted he be watched for the night because of the concussion. He swore when she said it, insisted he was fine, but Mrs. Everdeen was unperturbed.

"I don't care about my birthday, Gale," Katniss told him, holding one of her hands delicately in her bandaged ones.

"Still," he said, looking at her hands, "you deserve better than this."

She smiled. "I've got all I ever wanted right here," and told him, recalling all the crazy things that had happened that day, sweetly leaning in and kissing him on the forehead.

Gale would later tell himself, that if he hadn't had a head injury, he would have been able to process what was happening, he would have reached out and stopped Katniss before she left after, or said something to keep her there. But instead, he just sat there, disbelieving, as she pressed her lips to him for the first time, and was left with the overwhelming desire for more.


	7. Coming Close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Please."

"I still can't believe you did that."

"Well, somebody had to save your ass," Katniss said offhandedly to her friend as they hiked to the snare line by a small stream.

"You could have been hurt," Gale continued, trying to make her see the danger in the situation.

"Well, you were hurt," she returned, ending the argument. "I still can't believe you went down there. That was definitely one of your dumbest ideas," Katniss said, tossing her head back with a small laugh as she looked at her partner, arm still in a sling and scowling, as she checked his snare lines.

"No it wasn't," he mumbled defensively.

"Yeah it was. Top five for sure," she said, untangling the foot of a trapped rabbit.

"Oh please," Gale huffed, like he'd never had a bad idea.

Katniss turned to him with a bit of fire in her eyes, tossing the rabbit which he had to scramble to catch one-handed. Her hands now free, she lifted one up and started counting with her fingers. "Let's see," she said moving on to the next snare.

"Katniss…"

"Wait. There are a lot to choose from," she said in a way that was almost too serious to be considered a tease, though her wide smile told him she was. "Okay, in no particular order, there was that time you insisted we track that animal into its burrow…that animal you insisted was a fox but turned out to be—"

"A skunk," he said abashedly with her.

"Yeah, a skunk."

"Okay, okay," he tried to stop her, "I was young and still learning."

"True," she said, trying not to laugh, "and thanks to you we now know that there're aren't black foxes, especially with white stripes on their tails."

"You're funny."

The look she gave him said she knew. "Two," she flashed two fingers from behind the dangling possum, "there was the time you tried to get the honey comb."

He rolled his eyes and let out a deep breath. He these were his most embarrassing moments, not his dumbest.

"And you just reached right in the buzzing hive…" She couldn't stop herself from laughing now, remembering how he cursed and then screamed and then ran frantic as the swarm chased him.

"Hey, if I recall correctly, you said you thought that was a good idea."

"Well, you recall incorrectly." She tossed the dead possum to him. "I said I thought honey was good—not reaching into a hive to get it." She was still laughing.

Gale had a sour look on his face. He didn't want to tell her that her comment was the reason he tried to get the honey in the first place.

"It's okay," she said as she reattached the snare line, "we learned another valuable lesson." She flashed another smile before turning to walk towards the stream.

"Yeah," he said so low that she couldn't hear, "not to do anything nice for you."

"Three, and this one just might be my favorite, there was that time you wanted to get a hunting dog…"

"I wasn't serious."

"Oh yes you were!" she turned to meet his eyes, "you took me to see McGillert's pups. You'd even picked one out!"

"Okay," he admitted, "I was thinking about it more before I met you. I thought it'd help and be nice to have company…"

"And then you met me!" she piped.

"Yeah," he scoffed, "and now I know it'd be better to be alone."

"Ha ha," she said with mock laughter, bending down to cup some of the cool stream water and splash it on her face. "But seriously," she said, splashing herself again, "you couldn't have fed that dog, or kept him quiet out here. It just would have drawn attention to what you were doing and gotten you in trouble."

"I know. I haven't mentioned that in years…" he defended himself as she walked back to him. And that one, he didn't think was dumb or embarrassing. Part of him still wanted a hunting dog, and he was convinced he could train one.

"For four, we've got the Holly and Callie Weathers incident."

"Oh god," Gale flushed, "you know about that?" That one, he had to admit, was one of his dumber moves.

"Everyone knows about that," Katniss teased, recalling when two years ago Gale had a nasty break up with one of the Weathers girls only to then ask out her sister, not knowing they were related. "In fact, I think we can count that as four and five, one for each Weather, it was so bad." She laughed again, remembering how upset the girls were with Gale and how miserable they made him at school.

But as Katniss approached him, Gale suddenly wasn't thinking about the Weather incident or why he was ever interested in either sister. He was watching the small drops of water trace a path down Katniss's cheek and neck and all the way under her shirt and remembering how her lips felt pressed tight to his forehead, as warm and wet as her skin now, he imagined. He was thinking that tumbling down an elevator shaft was worth it in the end, for the feel of those lips on his skin. And now all he could think about were her lips and how he wanted to kiss them with his this time…

"Gale?" she called him, no longer able to read his expression and pulling him from his reverie. "Ya there?" She waved for his attention.

"Yeah?" he said, trying to appear normal. He shook his head and shifted his stance. "I was thinking…we should probably head back so we can get cleaned up before we have to go to the solstice celebration."

Katniss let out an annoyed breath and rolled her eyes. "Oh, god, don't remind me. Can't we just stay out here?"

"I think our absence will be noticed."

"Only yours will by all the girls who want to dance with you." He winced slightly, ashamed that Katniss was thinking that.

"I think more people notice you than you realize," he said, looking into her eyes before picking up their hunting sack now full with game.

"Please," she scoffed and turned away, swinging herself around a tree branch as they headed to the fence.

Gale just shook his head and muttered to himself, still unable to believe how oblivious she was to the effect she had on people.

"Vick, Posy, come on, we're going to be late if we want to meet the Everdeens!" Hazelle shouted at her children as she walked out of her house. "No, go back in there an comb your hair," she said fiercely, pointing at Rory as he ran up to the front door. Her words caught him like a hook, and he stopped himself and marched back to the bathroom with a frown. "Children, come on!" she tapped her foot annoyedly. "Oh, Posy, you look precious," she said, grabbing her youngest's chin when she walked up to her.

Gale tucked his shirt in his pants as he walked out to meet her. His hair was still a little wet from the quick shower he'd taken after returning from the woods, but he'd combed it, so he didn't think his mother would complain.

"Gale!" she almost barked, startling him as he appeared in their common room. "Sling."

He cursed under his breath as he turned back to his room. He hated wearing that thing.

"Language!" Hazelle screamed, covering Posy's ears. "Vick! Rory! Come on!"

"You said I had to comb my hair!" Rory wailed like it was an excuse. Hazelle's tone said she thought otherwise.

"Oh, goodness, you don't have that much of it. Hurry up. We're going to be late."

Gale's youngest brother almost crashed into him as they made it to the front door. Hazelle looked the both up them up and down. "Put the sling on, Gale," she said, eyes still pouring over Vick, clearly looking for some flaw. When she didn't find any, she huffed. "Rory!"

"I'ma coming, I'ma coming," he said, appearing from the bathroom with his hair combed, but parted ridiculously down the side.

"Oh my god…" She sighed exasperatedly, wondering what on earth the boy was thinking, but she realized there was no more time. "We'll just…fix it on the way," she huffed, eyes scouring over each of her children and silently counting to make sure they were all there. "Okay, let's go." She handed the food she'd made to Gale. He hadn't put on his sling and took it with previously injured arm, hoping she'd notice, but she didn't, her attention immediately going to Rory's hair as they started walking to the Everdeens.

As they approached Katniss's house, they heard her mother calling in a similar, though somewhat less frantic, manner as their mother.

"They're here!" Prim called happily from the window, flying to the door to greet them.

She was wearing a blue dress that she'd worn to the Reaping the year before and would probably wear to the Reapings this year since they didn't have money for many dresses. Prim wasn't one to let such things bother her though.

"Posy! Hazelle!" she called excitedly, "I made these for you," she said, presenting links of flowers she'd woven together for them to wear.

"Ohh, wow!" Posy said with big eyes making Gale smile.

"Thank you, dear," Hazelle said, taking the two links from Prim. "You look lovely."

"Come on, Katniss!" Anise Everdeen called, walking to the door and waving, "the Hawthornes are here."

"I'm ready," she said, turning out of her room and not quite in view yet of the crowd outside.

"Oh my god, Katniss, did you even shower?" Her mother called from the doorway.

"Yes." There was a noticeable pause as Katniss slowly became visible. Her mother looked her up and down and sighed heavily. "I mean, I washed my hands and face."

"Katniss."

"What?" she swatted her mom's hands away as she quickly ducked past her and made it outdoors.

Mrs. Everdeen shut the door and followed her daughter out. "You didn't even do your hair."

"Yes I did. I braided it this morning," Katniss defended.

"Yes, but did you brush it?" Her mother asked as they started walking.

Katniss was noticeably silent.

"At least she's not wearing her hunting boots," Rory snickered. Hazelle smacked his shoulder. "What?" he mouthed.

Katniss met Gale's eyes, hoping he'd say something to save her. But Gale didn't see her silent plea—he was too distracted by the light fabric of the white dress she was wearing, how it hugged her figure, how the light almost shone through the shirt as she walked, and the space between the buttons that clasped over her bust.

"Hey, Gale's not wearing his sling," she called him out, eye narrowed and flashing anger at him. He flushed, initially worried that she'd caught him starting, but he quickly realized it was just because she was determined to get the attention off her.

"Gale!" Hazelle said frantically, snatching the food from her son and still not noticing he was using his supposedly injured hand and thus not giving him the opening to insist he was better. "Language!" she said shrilly, before Gale even managed to get a swear word out.

"I didn't say anything, Ma."

"You were about to." Hazelle warned.

Gale made sure to keep his cursing to himself this time as he put the sling back on and adjusted it around his neck.

All out of the house and ready now, they began moving to the celebration. Prim excitedly told Hazelle and Posy about her flower-braids until Hazelle was guilted into wearing one, and Katniss's mother kept fussing over her hair.

"Just let me undo it at least, dear, it's coming apart."

"Mom, it's fine," Katniss tried to fend her off, but failed.

"Now that's better," Anise said, like it made a world of difference, "and now you can wear this," she said, draping the link of flowers over her.

"I don't want flowers in my hair," Katniss said, trying to swat them away.

"But I made it," Prim said, sounding legitimately hurt.

"Oh," Katniss responded, feeling bad. "They're beautiful." And she let her mother put them on her head as they reached the fairgrounds.

Gale was stunned when he turned around to see her. Katniss's hair fell in gentle waves around her face and over her shoulders. And the link of flowers Prim had given her fitted tight on her forehead like a crown. Gale could see the stiff vine she had braided to make the shape, but it was barely visible beneath the wildflowers she'd woven into it—mostly white, though bits of green leaf pushed through. They were mostly small daisies, from what he could tell, with some honeysuckle spun in, and, he thought, some hawthorn flowers too.

Katniss caught him staring at her as she walked up to him. "What?" she said, almost accusingly and feeling self-conscious.

"Nothing," Gale said, dropping his eyes and shaking his head. "You just…you look really nice."

"Oh, please," she scoffed, dismissing him.

And for the first time, Gale imagined her saying that word with a different tone, and a different meaning. He was still imaging that, remembering her lips pressed tight to his skin, and her name was on his now when suddenly the sound of his brought him to reality.

"Gale?" Only, it wasn't Katniss saying it. He wasn't certain how long ago she'd left.

"Oh, hey," he said, collecting himself, "Nelly, how are you?"

Gale wouldn't exactly call Nellie a friend, but he did make out with her at the slag heap from time to time. She was beautiful, blonde, and shapely, though, Gale was pretty sure she had a boyfriend right now. One of the older Mellark brothers, if he wasn't mistaken.

"I'm good. I just wanted to see how you were…you know…after the accident and all." She bit her lip as her eyes roamed over him.

"Oh," Gale said, looking down at the sling, "I'm fine. Almost all healed, in fact."

"Good. I'm glad. You know…it was so brave of you…to go down there."

Gale knew the look Nelly was giving him, and he knew it well. His free hand unconsciously went to touch the flask he kept in his back pocket. It used to be his father's, and his uncle gave it to him after his father died, filling it once for him every year with moonshine for his birthday. He always drank it at the Solstice Festival, sharing it with whatever girl he was seeing or liked best when they'd disappear from the dancing and the crowd. He'd done this with Nelly more than once.

When his mind realized what he was reaching for and what Nelly was thinking, still biting her lip, Gale shook those thoughts off. "Not really. Men go down into the mines every day. And I'll be doing that too soon," he said, trying not to sound too bitter or harsh, "you know, if I make it through this Reaping."

Nelly looked a bit shocked. Gale almost wanted to laugh, but stopped himself. Nelly was nice, and he knew Katniss would tell him it wasn't her fault she had a good life. Though Gale always wondered why the rich's circumstances could excuse for their ignorance when his circumstances couldn't excuse for his anger.

"How's…Crem?" he hoped that was the right name, "you're still dating him, right?"

"Yeah," Nelly said, nodding her head and no longer biting her lip. "He's good. His brother just had a baby."

"Nice," Gale said.

"Yeah," she said again as both became aware of how awkward this was. "His family's really happy."

The look on her face made Gale want to ask if she was happy, but that wasn't really his concern anymore. "I hope you two have fun at the dance," he said, hoping she'd take that as her exit cue. And she did.

Nelly wasn't the only girl to come check in on Gale that night. Robin Ackers was the next to stop by and then Lilah Jessup, whom he'd actually used to date and just seemed legitimately concerned, but she was followed by Misty Harkrader, who wouldn't leave him alone. Gale was about to ditch the sling completely just to stop drawing attention to himself until he realized it gave him the perfect excuse not to dance.

"Sorry," he told Misty, for what he felt like was the twentieth time, "I can't," he looked down at his arm with a smile, "doctor's orders."

"Oh," she pouted, slowly walked away. Gale kept the smile on his face as she turned away.

"Liar," he heard from behind him.

"Christ, Catnip, you startled me."

She laughed as she walked in front of him. "Not interrupting anything, am I?" she said almost coyly.

"God no. I'm so glad you're here." When Gale'd said that, he wasn't thinking it was because she looked so amazing, but now that he saw her, that was the only thing on his mind. Her hair was tumbling wildly around her face and her skin was glistening with a soft sheen of sweat.

"You know, I can ask my mother over here if you want. I'm pretty sure she'll approve you for dancing."

"Ha ha."

"Misty bothering you?" She half-teased.

"Uhh…" he made an uncertain sound.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have made out with her at last year's Solstice Celebration."

Gale cursed to himself. He'd just come out of a bad break up with Willa Mayhew, and he'd drunk a bit too much of his uncle's moonshine too quickly and made out with Misty at the festival. She took that as a sign that they were dating things got complicated quickly.

"Now that night definitely counts as one of my dumbest ideas."

"Oh, are we bumping the Weather sisters off the list then?"

"No," Gale admitted honestly too quickly before he realized that his list was suddenly filling up with stupid decisions involving women. He looked over at her nervously, but she was just shaking her head and smiling.

"Well, maybe you should try not kissing anyone for a change this year, that way you don't have to add anything else to your list."

She knocked his shoulder playfully, and he could tell she was joking. At least mostly. But before he could settle on a response, Prim called out:

"Katniss," she said excitedly, "come dance with us!"

"Now there's a girl you can't say no to," Katniss laughed as she ran off to join her sister dance around the fire.

"Yeah," Gale said, but he was thinking about an entirely different girl.

His hand again unconsciously moved to the flask, and for the first time in his whole life, Gale wanted a drink.

"The dog," Gale said when he found Katniss again. She was sitting by herself on a bench, drinking water and fanning herself.

"What?" she looked at him utterly confused.

"That's the one we're bumping from the list."

"Not that stupid dog again," she scoffed.

"Hey, be nice to Cooper," he teased, sitting next to her.

"Oh!" she laughed so loudly she almost snorted, "I forgot you named him!" She grabbed his shoulder and doubled over.

When she recovered, he reached forward and tucked her hair behind her ear. Their eyes locked meaningful, and Gale wondered what she was thinking, hoping it was the same thing he was.

"Don't get too comfortable," she said, playfully swatting his leg and causing a spout of hope to rise from his stomach. "You wouldn't want any of the pretty girls to get the wrong idea."

He had to swallow that hope, and it tasted bitter. Apparently, she wasn't thinking what he was at all. Gale suddenly thought that he must have done a lot of stupid things for Katniss to think that way about him…and none of them involving bees or skunks or foxes.

"Hey, do you want to get out of here?"

"Yes!" she said emphatically, jumping up. "I'm so over dancing."

Gale was suddenly glad she was so inexperienced she didn't realize what a cliché he'd just been and smiled listening to her as she complained about the heat.

"Tell me, whose great idea was it to lite a bonfire for the summer?" she wondered as they headed away from the celebration, ending up at their spot watching the sunset.

"Oh," Gale said after a few moments of silence, "I got this." He made himself leave off the "for you," part.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a peach. It was large and soft and fragrant and shone like the sun as it turned pink-orange on the horizon.

"Oh my god, Gale! Where'd you get this?" She eagerly grabbed it and held it to her nose, taking in the sweet scent. She'd always loved the way they'd smelled. And Gale knew this.

"I won it…at, uh, one of the games."

"You won a peach?" She couldn't believe it. Peaches were rare and pricey in their District. They only fruit they usually got were apples and oranges. And even oranges were too much for their families to afford. "How?"

He made up some story about getting the highest score in a ball tossing game, but he'd really traded his liquor for it.

Gale'd briefly considered sharing his moonshine with her, but quickly realized Katniss wouldn't want that. And he didn't want that either…to do with Katniss what he'd done with so many others.

"It's so beautiful…I don't even know if I can bite it," she said, still holding it to her lips.

Gale laughed, "well if you don't, I will."

"Okay," she said, handing it to him, sounding almost scared.

"No, go on," he said, pushing her hand back to her.

"I can't…it's yours," she insisted, handing it back to him.

"Katniss…"

"No, Gale, please?"

That word again. He'd do anything for it. Gale took the peach from her, his fingers sliding past hers, and she watched him almost trembling as he put the soft skin of the fruit to his lips and took a bite. It was delicious, he thought, as the sweet flavor flushed over his tongue, but it wasn't its taste he craved on his tone, it's softness he wanted on his lips.

He handed it back to Katniss now.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. One of her first memories was smelling peaches at the summer market and begging her mother for one. She'd cried all the way home when her mother told her she couldn't have one. There, her father comforted her, promising he'd get her one one day. He never did, though she always believed him when he'd said, next summer, next summer….

She opened her mouth softly and put the fruit to her lips and bit delicately. Sweet juices poured into her and she was hit with heavy sensation. "Oh my god, Gale, this is so good."

She opened her eyes only after she'd swallowed, licking her lips and realizing the juices were dribbling down her chin. She quickly wiped it away with one hand and handed the fruit out to Gale. "Thank you."

Gale was looking at her intently when he reached out, savoring her expressions the way she was the taste. His hand didn't grab the peach, but went up to her face, and he brushed away one last drop of juice that she'd missed.

"Oh," Katniss's said, a bit embarrassed, bringing her own hand up to wipe away anymore mess and knocking into his.

Gale let his fingers brush against hers before pulling his hand away and smiling at her. The sun had dipped below the horizon now, but the last rays of gold light fell on their skin, illuminating everything before the shadows folded them in. And as he felt the heat from her skin fading from his fingers just as the heat of the sun faded from his skin, he wondered how high kissing her would rate on his list of dumbest ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, I think I'm ending this story here. As the author, I'm inclined to think that Gale does not actually kiss Katniss here and would fold this story into cannon. I was going to end on the morning of the Reaping where the books began, but I'm not sure that chapter needs retelling. By ending it here, I'll let you decide how you want to imagine it going...does he kiss her? if you want him to, then you can imagine it that way! And if you want them to go further, they can! Or, you can imagine it more tragically like I do, him not kissing her because he thinks they'll be a better time, and then all the tragedy of the hunger games happens...As always, I'd love to know what you think! How do you want it to end? What do you imagine? Reviews are always my favorite, and thank you so much to those of you who leave them. You rock. Also, I'm going to be an annoying meta-writer for moment and ask what you all thought of my titles and opening quotes. I tried to make them all work on two levels, one speaking directly to the events of the chapter but also metaphorically about Gale and Katniss's relationship, and I'm just wondering if that came across at all. Also, I really like how "coming close" implies both them coming closer together, and coming close to dong something, but also coming to a close because both this story and this phase of their relationship are (about) at an end.


End file.
